


nine encounters

by ketabat



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Billy Hargrove has a Cat, F/M, First Meetings, Implied/Referenced Abuse, M/M, Neglect, Steve Harrington Deserves Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:26:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24654559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ketabat/pseuds/ketabat
Summary: nine times steve sees billy.
Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington, Steve Harrington/Nancy Wheeler
Comments: 16
Kudos: 212
Collections: harringrove for BLM





	nine encounters

**Author's Note:**

> requested by anon. "modern stancy but billy comes into the picture?"
> 
> (this turned out a little longer than i expected, but i hope it's as good as you hoped for <3)

The first time Steve sees him, the guy’s a nameless face. Except Steve didn’t really see his face, most of it eclipsed by his blond curls.  
  
It’s a silent ride up to the 3rd floor. The guy huffs and mutters under his breath, all the words muffled by the sound of the guitar riff booming from the headphones wrapped around his neck.  
  
The elevator dings and the doors slide open. Steve steps out and starts down the hallway to Nancy’s apartment. 

He knocks twice before Nancy swings the door open and greets him with a peck to the lips before letting him inside.

_______________

The second time Steve sees him, Nancy’s held up at work and Steve’s sitting down outside her apartment, his back against her door as he whiles away his time on his phone. The elevator rings open and Steve looks up, expecting to see Nancy, donned in a pantsuit and hair tied up into a bun. 

Blondie steps out instead, a box of pizza in one hand and a cat carrier in the other. Steve doubts the dude caught him looking, so he looks back at his phone, sparing the _10:52 PM_ very little attention despite the nagging in the corner of his brain telling him he shouldn’t wait for her. Nancy’s playful _you’re so clingy sometimes_ a repetitive echo.   
  
“Thrown out?”  
  
Steve looks up. Clears his throat and shakes his head once. “No. She’s not home yet.”

Blondie nods, setting the cat carrier down to fish his keys out of his pocket. “You need anythin’?”  
  
Steve offers a small smile, leaning forward and extending a hand to poke his finger between the bars of the carrier and stroke the British shorthair between the eyes.

“Careful,” Blondie warns, a second too late. The cat’s canines bite into Steve’s finger, making him hiss and pull back. “He’s tetchy with people he doesn’t know.”  
  
Steve sucks his finger into his mouth. “What’s his name?”  
  
“Feline,” Blondie shrugs. Grins when Steve huffs at the _originality_ of it.   
  
The elevator dings open and Nancy steps out. “Steve! What are you doing here?” her heels click against the marble floor as she scurries over to him. He stands up, greets her with a kiss.   
  
“Waiting for you,” he answers. “Met your neighbor.”  
  
Nancy looks at Blondie, smile instantly dropping. Blondie tongues the inside of his cheek, lips only twitching when his cat hisses at Nancy. “Hey now, play nice,” Blondie murmurs. Says it like Feline will be getting a treat once they’re inside.   
  
Steve clears his throat. “Um. It was nice meeting you, man.”  
  
Blondie doesn’t respond to that.

_______________

The third time Steve sees him, Nancy’s once again held up at work and Steve’s nibbling the corners of his Doritos.  
  
The door opposite Nancy’s opens and Feline squeezes himself out, scampers all the way down the hall and disappears around the corner with a sock in his mouth. A minute later, Blondie peeks out. He looks down the hall before his eyes settle on Steve. “Y’see Feline by any chance?” 

Steve cocks a brow.  
  
“Little bastard stole my sock and I’m late to work.”  
  
Steve can’t help a laugh. He points a pointless Dorito in the direction Feline just frolicked in. Blondie storms in said direction, “Piece of shit _fucker! Feline!”_  
  
When he’s back, both socks on and Feline in his arms, he bends down and forces his hand into Steve’s bag of potato chips. He props a Dorito between his smile, eyes crinkling at the sides. “It’s Billy, by the way.”  
  
“Steve,” Steve nods. “Harrington. Steve Harrington.”  
  
Billy stands up, fingers toying with the name tag on Feline’s collar. “Ok, Steve Harrington. I’m– late to work so,” he points a thumb over his shoulder. “See you next time Wheeler’s caught up with _work.”  
  
_A frown lines the space between Steve’s brows.  
  
“And maybe she should give you a key since y’all are goin’ steady,” Billy states, “Kinda pitiful seein’ you like this,” he closes the door before Steve can say anything.

_______________

The fourth time, Steve’s playing with lint on his jeans when Billy opens the door and steps aside. “Come inside. It’s freezing out there.”  
  
“No, it’s – it’s fine. Nancy’ll be here any second.”  
  
“Her stupid Vuitton heels will make themselves heard, get the fuck in.”  
  
“It’s fine, man. Really.”  
  
“Suit yourself.”  
  
Steve waits half an hour before he leaves.

_______________

The fifth time, the elevator doors slide open and Steve steps out the same time a man with the worst moustache to date shoulders his way in. Billy’s in the middle of the hallway, so the man definitely has something to do with him. “You come near my place again and I’m filing a fuckin’ restraining order, you hear me?!”  
  
Then his eyes go to Steve and he smiles, like his nose and mouth aren’t bleeding and there isn’t a bruise blooming on his cheekbone. “Nancy’s upstairs helpin’ Mrs. Abram with the pipes,” he says. “I’d have helped but that old hag’s a complete _slut._ Cracked her back tryna put on some moves for me that _one time_ I helped fix her satellite.”  
  
Steve laughs under his breath, shaking his head slightly. “Guess I’m destined to wait for her every time.”  
  
He walks over and pulls out a tissue. “You’ve got…” he trails off, gesturing for his own face.  
  
Billy takes the tissue, smile straightening into a line.   
  
“Um. Wanna talk about it?”  
  
“Nothin’ to talk about,” Billy presses the tissue to his lip and pulls it back to look at how bad the cut really is. “Grew up in a strict household. Gotta get that reminder beat into me every once in a while.”  
  
Steve doesn’t know what to say to that.  
  
He steps in a little closer and lifts his sleeve to Billy’s nose, trying to wipe away as much blood as he can without hurting him. Billy’s hand drops to his side and he just–

Looks at Steve. And Steve’s been looked at before. Plenty of times. Somehow, under Billy’s gaze, he feels _seen_.  
  
_“Ok, Mrs. Abram! I’ll talk to him about it!”_  
  
They draw apart and Steve looks away, clearing his throat.

_______________

The sixth time, the elevator’s out of order so Steve takes the stairs, hangs back once he finds Nancy and Billy engaged in a hissed fight. Neither of them seems to heed his presence.

“…but you’re a fucking _weasel,_ Wheeler.”  
  
“I don’t _need_ relationship advice from an _exotic dancer.”  
  
_“ _Stripper_ ,” Billy whispers between clenched teeth, stepping in closer. “It’s not fucking _relationship advice._ Know a threat when you fuckin’ hear one, _weasel.”_

 _  
  
_“Hey, hey, what’s going on here?” Steve interrupts before it can get more heated.  
  
“Nothing,” They both say at the same time.  
  
Steve looks between them, clearly skeptical, but lets it go. “I got Chinese,” he lifts a paper bag. Nancy smiles at him and pecks his cheek.  
  
Steve smiles at Billy before closing the door.

_______________

The seventh time, Feline runs out of the elevator and straight towards Steve. “Hey, little guy,” Steve murmurs in greeting, scratching him behind the ear. Then he looks up at Billy. “Aren’t pets banned? Nance wanted a puppy, but the landlady said no.”  
  
Billy throws a beer at him, blinking in surprise when Steve catches it on reflex, then turns his back to him to get his key in the lock. “You forget I’m a stripper?”  
  
“Oh,” Steve feigns surprise. “I didn’t know.”  
  
“Oh, you didn’t know?” Billy mimics in a playful tone. “You tellin’ me little miss sunshine doesn’t talk about it every time you’re around? She’s pretty averse to my profession and is _pretty_ vocal about it.”  
  
“Why do you hate her so much?”  
  
Billy looks over his shoulder. “I don’t like people who don’t value what they have.”  
  
Steve gapes, hand subconsciously stroking the length of Feline’s back. He doesn’t know what to say.  
  
“Come in when you’re done.”  
  
Steve isn’t sure if he’s saying that to Feline or to _him._

_______________

The eighth time Steve sees Billy, it’s a couple of minutes after Nancy breaks up with him.  
  
“So you’ve what? Been seeing a guy behind my back?” Steve asks. “Making me wait around for you while you chase some _office_ _romance?_ ”  
  
“Steve, it’s not – it’s not _like that,”_ Nancy rebuts. “He just– we drifted. You and I drifted, and Jonathan’s been _there_ for me. You know, with everything–”  
  
“You could’ve said something,” Steve interrupts. “Instead of leading me on. Was all this just bullshit to you?”  
  
Nancy purses her lips, eyes casting downwards. She tucks her hair behind her ears and hugs herself. Steve breaks a little at her silence. But he’s… there’s a latent sense of relief beneath it all. He tries remembering the last time he laughed or even _smiled_ in her presence.  
  
He hears Billy’s _Feline, you little fuckwit, get your furry ass here right this instant!_ from outside. Feels like maybe he was betraying Nancy as well.  
  
When he steps out of Nancy’s apartment, Billy’s storming down the hallway with Feline in his arms, looking indignant and grumpy. “Harrington,” he greets.   
  
Steve chucks Feline under the chin. “What did this bad boy do now?”  
  
“Steal. The usual.”  
  
Steve takes him from Billy’s hands, carrying him baby style. Feline complains about Billy in the form of meows, making Steve nod his understanding. “I know, I know.”  
  
“Wheeler at work?”  
  
Steve looks up, sparing Billy a brief look before looking back down at Feline, purring away in his arms. “Nah. She’s inside.”  
  
“Oh.”  
  
Steve sets Feline down and stands up, dusting the speckles of cat fur off his shirt. “Yeah.”  
  
Billy licks his mouth, raking his fingers through his hair. He looks like he wants to say something, but his phone rings and he lifts a finger as if to say _don’t go anywhere,_ and disappears into his apartment.  
  
Steve leaves.  
  


_______________

The ninth time Billy sees Steve, it’s a month later and Steve’s sitting outside Nancy’s house.  
  
“Desperation isn’t a good look on you, pretty boy,” Billy says in lieu of a greeting. “She won’t be back before morning.”  
  
Steve stands to his feet and fixes his jacket. “I– no. I…”  
  
Billy balances his groceries on one thigh and forages around in his shoulder bag for his keys. “You…?”  
  
“I’m– I was wondering if…” Steve ruffles the front of his hair and runs his hand over the length of it. “I’m not here for Nancy.”  
  
Billy unlocks his door and pushes it open. He disappears inside for a moment, long enough to put his groceries down and pull his jacket off before he’s at the door again. “You here for Feline?” he asks, leaning against the doorjamb. “Lil cunt missed you.”  
  
Steve smiles, a little shy. “I missed him too.”   
  
Billy crosses his arms over his chest. “And I missed you moping around here.”  
  
Steve’s rib cage feels too tight for his heart. “I– yeah. I wanted to ask you if you’re free?”  
  
Billy tuts his tongue, smiling with a sort of annoyed fondness. Humors Steve anyway. “Depends. Will it be worth my time?”  
  
Steve hesitates, then takes a step closer. Billy looks surprised, doesn’t bother hiding it as he stands upright. “You’re a walking _cliché,_ y’know that?” he says it all aggravated, like his fingers aren’t toying with the buttons on Steve’s shirt. “C’mere,” he bunches his hand into the shirt and pulls Steve closer. Steve presses into his space.

“You’re not a rebound,” he voices. “I mean. I thought about you a lot,” he brushes a thumb over the stubble on Billy’s jaw. “Even… even before the breakup.”  
  
Billy flicks his tongue against the seam of Steve’s lips. “Good,” he whispers. “Now kiss me.”  
  


**Author's Note:**

> im on [tumblr.](https://inkedplume.tumblr.com)


End file.
